Apex Legends launched out of nowhere and became a smash hit. It's easy to get addicted to this take on the battle royale genre that takes elements from Overwatch.

To claim victory, you'll need to understand the game's mechanics. Here are some essential Apex Legends tips to help you win.

1. Try Multiple Characters, Use Abilities Often

Compared to other battle royale titles, Apex Legends sets itself apart with a unique cast of characters. Each has one passive ability, one tactical ability they can activate every so often, and an ultimate ability that charges over time.

You should give each character a try and see which ones fit your playstyle. No matter who you play as, don't be afraid to use your abilities regularly. Lifeline's healing drone, for instance, can keep your allies healthy without using valuable syringes. Pathfinder's ultimate creates a zipline that the entire team can use to quickly traverse the map.

Use these abilities as a team to increase your chances of success.

2. Understand Item Values

Like most battle royale games, Apex Legends uses color-coding to easily differentiate between item values. Whether it's armor, a weapon attachment, or a loot box dropped by a dead enemy, you should know how to identify whether something is worth going after.

From worst to best, the colors are:

• White
• Blue
• Purple
• Gold

Notably, gold gear provides the same benefits as purple, but with additional perks. For example, purple and gold armor give the same damage resistance, but having gold armor will refill your shields after executing an enemy.

To simplify this, the game gently prevents you from swapping to something worse than you have. For example, if you have a purple stock and highlight a white one, it will tell you "You have a better stock". Note that not every attachment is compatible with every gun.

Finally, pay attention to the colored numbers when you shoot an enemy. The above color coding matches the armor the enemy has (so blue numbers indicate level two armor). If you see red numbers when you hit someone, they have no armor. Yellow numbers indicate a headshot.

3. Carry Varied Weapons

You'll find a variety of weapons to do battle with, including handguns, shotguns, sniper rifles, and more. Right after dropping, you'll have to make do with whatever you can scrounge up.

But as you find more weapons to choose from, you should pick two that complement each other. If you have two close-range weapons, like an SMG and a shotgun, you'll have no good way to attack enemies from afar.

Likewise, each weapon has a specific ammo type. These are color-coded, similar to the item coding:

• Light ammo is brown. It's used in pistols, SMGs, and smaller rifles.
• Heavy ammo is green. This is for bigger assault rifles, some snipers, and the Wingman hand cannon.
• Shotgun shells are red. Of course, these work in all shotguns.
• Energy ammo is yellow. This works in just a few weapons, including the Devotion machine gun.

You should avoid keeping two weapons that use the same ammo type. If you get into a fight and have to use up a lot of ammo, you'll be low for both weapons.

4. You Have Multiple Chances to Revive

Keeping your three-man squad alive for as long as possible gives you the best chance to win. Thankfully, just because a teammate goes down doesn't mean they're gone for good.

When you lose all your health, you'll go into a downed state. During this time, you can crawl slowly to avoid danger or get closer to your teammates. However, you're still vulnerable to enemy fire. If you've picked up a knockdown shield, you can use it to protect yourself while downed.

You have a limited time to revive downed teammates. If you can pick them up, they'll keep their items and get back in the fight. However, if a downed teammate dies, you can still recover their player banner from the loot box they drop.

After a teammate picks up their squad member's banner in time, they can bring it to a respawn beacon to resurrect them. Just be aware that each beacon is only good for one use per match (by any team) and resurrected teammates spawn in with no equipment.

Unfortunately, if you can't recover a banner before it disappears, that teammate is permanently gone.

5. Master Communication Using Pings

If you can use it, voice chat is the easiest way to communicate quickly with your team (we've looked at the best voice chat clients). But Apex Legends has an excellent pinging system that lets you keep your teammates updated without saying anything.

Press the ping button (R1 on PS4, RB on Xbox One, and middle mouse button on PC) to send a basic "Let's go this way" ping to your allies. If you ping the same spot as a teammate, your character will agree to the action. Importantly, double-tapping the button will mark enemies in red.

But there's a lot more you can do with pings. You can ping loot to let your teammates know about it. Pinging an item your teammate called out lets you "call dibs" on it. And you can ping a spot again to cancel it.

Hold the ping button to access a wheel with several more options, like Looting this area, Enemies were here, and Defending this area. If you hold the ping button on an ally's callout, you can say "No" or "I can't".

You can also ping slots in your inventory. If you're low on a certain type of ammo, or are looking for a specific attachment, you can press the ping button while highlighting it. Your character will say "Looking for a sniper scope" or "I need heavy ammo" so your teammates can keep an eye out.

6. Know How to Navigate the Map Effectively

Since the circle shrinks over time, you'll need to move around often and efficiently to take the crown. All characters move at the same speed, so that has no bearing on your selection.

Keep an eye out for the red balloons scattered around the map. Hold the action button to slide up the line; when you reach the top, you'll reactivate your jetpack used when dropping onto the map. This lets you cover a lot of ground quickly, especially if the circle is closing right behind you.

Another important tip is that you can holster your weapon, which makes you move a bit faster. Hold the weapon switch button to do this, but keep in mind you'll be at a momentary disadvantage if a firefight breaks out.

Finally, there's no fall damage in this game. You can fall down a huge mountain and won't get hurt at all.

7. Play Aggressively but Stay Smart

If you've played other battle royale games, you're probably used to a massive scramble at the very beginning of the match. Because Apex has fewer players per game, you likely won't get into a big fight right away.

Take this time to craft a selection of weapons and equipment you really like. You can start attacking enemies once you're loaded up.

While you shouldn't be reckless, don't be afraid to play aggressively and take out your enemies. If you don't attack them, someone is going to jump on you before long. Don't fire at someone you know is too far away or strong, but do commit to the fight when you're ready.

Play with extra caution when you're in a hot area like a respawn beacon, because other squads are likely nearby. Always be aware of your surroundings; avoid standing out in the open to wade through boxes of loot, because you're a sitting duck.

Look in the upper-right corner and you can see the number of squads and players left in the battle. If there are only three squads left (one being yours) and you hear shooting, let them fight it out to save your resources.

More Apex Legends Tips to Spur You to Victory

Some weapons, such as the Flatline, allow you to select an alternate firing mode. Keep an eye out for an icon on their picture at the bottom-right of the screen.

If you have an attachment on one gun that's compatible with your other weapon and want to switch them, you can highlight it in your inventory and press the button to Transfer it easily.

You have limited inventory space. Pick up a backpack to increase how much you can carry. Review your inventory regularly and drop anything you can't use (marked with a red symbol). Your teammates might be able to use what's junk to you; ping it after dropping so they see it.

You can stack several explosives and healing items in one inventory slot. Each type of ammo has a maximum amount that fits into one space.

When near a downed enemy, you can perform a finishing move to execute them. This is satisfying to pull off, but be aware that you're vulnerable to enemy fire while doing it.

You can see your teammates' health in the bottom-left corner, as well as their equipment if you open the inventory. Keep an eye on what they need and ping it if you see it.

In addition to normal supply boxes, you'll sometimes find hidden Loot Ticks. These are little robots that make a distinct sound. Punch them, and you'll often find great loot inside.

Onward to Battle Royale Victory

Armed with these essential tips, you'll be well on your way to claiming victory in Apex Legends. Over time, you'll figure out which characters and weapons you like best and learn the map, which will also come in handy.

Have you mastered this game and want to check out other similar titles to Apex Legends? Then have a look at our comparison of battle royale games.